To Judge the World
by Solvableenigma
Summary: A home burned and a man left with nothing, these are the factors that set one of the most hidden wars into motion. With companions galore and lines blurred, young Daniel and his Gardevoir, Libra, are soon to find themselves being the ultimate pivot points.
1. Prologue

Amidst the lonely streets walked a sole person, shoulders hunched and languidly striding out of the city that he found disgusting. He despised having to look down at the street in order to see due to the heavy layer of sunken smog that was visible in the low beams of sun penetrating between the claustrophobic buildings.

That being said, he revelled in the early morning solitude that was absent from most other cities to which he had been. Despite being one of the most active and largest cities in the Sinnoh region, Hearthome was a nocturnal entity that preferred to reserve its vibrancy for the later hours away from the gaze of the sun.

Daniel glanced up and pushed his hat back to see, to his relief, the grand archway that signaled that he was leaving the accursed city. He gave a small smile as he readjusted his hat back to its original position. He adored that hat. It was a deep, chocolatey brown that could be mistaken for black in low light and had a wide brim that folded up and in on the sides. Functional and appropriate for the Solaceon native, the hat was a gift from his father, who was usually not an expressive man.

His feet sighed as they moved from the hard concrete to the compact, but comfortable, dirt road. They explored the various crevices left by other travelers and spoke to the footprints about the travels that they had experienced and were hoping to experience.

Daniel sucked in the air, freshened by the rows upon rows of trees not doomed to development. Their piney smell was always nostalgic to Daniel and such a smell was what allowed him to get lost in his own thoughts as his stroll increased slightly in pace.

School had been long and boring with the normal professor being absent and the substitute having no ability to lecture whatsoever. Adding to the fact that it was a night class, Daniel was pretty sure that he was one of the few not to have fallen asleep during the several hour long lecture on the compatibility of different Pokémon species. Insomnia did have its few benefits.

Shifting from school to work, Daniel ran through the checklist of things that he needed to get done for the shop. Inventory needed to be taken and some of the older rations would have to be checked to make sure that they were still good.

Daniel's grandparents were the ones who had originally bought the small shop after being convinced by Daniel's mother, their daughter, to sell the farm and open up a business. Despite the ever-obligatory Pokémart being a heavy dose of competition, The Solaceon Storefront got a lot of traffic due to selling basic essentials such as food, supplies, toiletries, and other minor luxuries to make travelling easier. Daniel had worked every job in the store from taking inventory to running the counter to stocking the shelves to holding a sign while running up and down the street announcing the most recent sale. It was a good job and kept him well paid so that he could afford to take classes during the night.

He was currently working towards a degree in Pokémon Genetics and hoped to be interned to an actual professor within the next year. The prospect excited him, having always an aptitude for science and loving to learn.

A familiar sight finally came into view as Daniel crossed an old, solid bridge. Solaceon Town was a small place, woven into the very landscape, with farms dotted amongst the hills that were currently bathing in the morning sun. A Pokémon center and Pokémart were the the most commercial aspects of the sleepy town. It was no more than a bump along the road to Veilstone that provided asylum for those who were caught in poor weather or simply had run out of hours in the day to travel. The Cozy Barn was the only inn in the town and was run by a younger couple that had recently moved from the Kanto region and it was quickly made popular by those looking for a more rustic journey.

Walking through his childhood town, Daniel stopped in front of a squat, wide building. Composed of shining oak wood and with crystal clear windows, The Solaceon Storefront was the epitome of a mom-and-pop shop and held a certain charm that drew visitors into its interior. Digging into his pocket, Daniel removed a key and unlocked the door. He was quickly assaulted with the smell of his grandmother's pastries.

Another reason the store was so popular was the cheap, but wholesomely delicious pastries that Daniel's grandmother prepared every morning.

Smiling, Daniel entered the shop, taking off his red fleece, long-sleeved shirt and hanging it on the door-side coat rack. It was a quaint area with shelves lined with various travelling necessities and different odds and ends that kept travellers coming back time and time again. Daniel quickly ducked underneath a counter that could be removed so as to allow access to the back rooms and put an apron over his white undershirt.

Glancing at himself in the mirror, he pushed his slightly messy blonde hair to the right so that it looked somewhat orderly. He used to have his hair longer, but short hair was much more convenient. Running a hand down his chin, he felt the growth of stubble and decided that he could put off shaving for a couple more days.

Footsteps coming from further back brought his attention to a small woman gently holding a basket full of assorted pastries. His grandmother was a petite woman, always had been, at least, since he had remembered, and she wore endless varieties of shawls over her sundresses, making her appear to have a hunch. She had soft cerulean eyes, a trait that she passed down to both her daughter and grandson that twinkled behind a pair of spectacles she wore low on her nose. Her hair was wild and graying with a few strands of lustrous brown still visible despite her advanced age.

In one motion, Daniel lowered himself from his six foot stature and took the basket from his grandmother, placing it in its position on the front of the counter, next to the register.

As he did this, he greeted his grandmother. "Morning, Gram!" he said cheerily; his grandmother, Darla, was one of those people who just had made people smile.

However, rather than return his greeting, Darla simply continued about her morning chores, grabbing a broom to begin sweeping and not saying a word to her grandson.

Chuckling, Daniel spoke louder. "MORNING GRAM!"

Still, she ignored him.

Puzzled, Daniel moved so that he was in front of her and waved a hand in front of her face. All she gave in response was scratching her head conspicuously. Daniel placed his hand on his head and felt the cold leather of his hat. He quickly removed the offending item and threw it so that it landed on the coat rack.

"Gawd mawrnin', Daniel," Darla finally replied in a long drawl, beaming, "How was cla-ss?"

"It was alright, just boring; professor Stewart wasn't there so we had some random substitute who didn't know a Skitty from a Wailord." The young man grabbed a check list and began to head into the back storage room. Darla followed him.

"I jus' thawt that I should let ya know," she started to say, but was cut off by Daniel.

"Hold your Ponytas, Gram, gotta focus on countin' the beans. They're a bit unorganized."

The old woman shook her head lovingly as she watched her legacy count and recount and then make a few marks on a piece of paper.

"Alright, what were you saying?"

"I was sayin' that ya should probably know that ya mama come home last night." She spoke in a dry, apathetic tone.

Sighing, Daniel continued to count various items in storage, occasionally checking a potentially perishable item for freshness. He allowed himself to become absorbed in the work. There were so many things to be counted that he did not even notice that the store had opened. Darla was not a helpless old woman, but she appreciated the help of her grandson and was thankful for him being the only one of her family to stay in town consistently after her husband died.

After several hours of counting and noting, Daniel finally emerged from the back room. Darla had just finished ringing up a customer and the shop was empty. The clock read that it was 1:30 so the afternoon lull was soon to be upon the town.

"Daniel," Darla spoke. Her voice was soft but inviting.

The young man did not respond immediately, but rather removed his apron and hung it in its proper place. Darla followed suit and the two of them exited the shop, with Daniel taking care to grab his clothes. After the two had left the shop, Darla turned the sign to "CLOSED" and hurriedly caught up with her grandson.

The two walked in silence for a time, strolling around the town, basking in the warm sun. The rainy season had yet to begin so the hair was not yet humid making it easy for them to walk around for long periods.

Drawing in a breath, Daniel asked, "How was she?"

"I don't reckon to know what ya-"

"You know what I mean, Gram." Daniel's voice held an edge to it that was rare to hear when he was conversing with Darla.

Silence fell upon the duo once more and they decided to walk back to the house that Daniel and Darla shared without so much as a word.

After several more minutes of walking, Darla spoke. "She wasn' awful, but she wasn' good. Hadta put her ta bed right quick."

Daniel grimaced.

"She traid ta tell me that she was fi-ne but I knows she wasn'. Her arms didn' know where her hands were, if ya get me."

Daniel opened his mouth, but closed it again as the house came into view. Situated directly behind the shop, the cozy abode fit in well with its surroundings. It was a two story, rather square building that was made of the same lustrous oak as the shop. A stone walkway led from the dirt path to the front door, decorated with different varieties of garden ornaments. Lining the front of the house were precisely trimmed hedges that added to the already quaint feel of the home.

Pushing the door open, Daniel held it and allowed Darla to pass, following in after her and letting the door swing shut behind him.

When one first entered the home, one was always most struck with the tidiness of it. A small foyer was organized with delicate plants and pictures that spanned multiple generations. This opened up to a sitting room with floral print furniture and a small fireplace that was as immaculate as the rest of the house.

Walking through all of this, one managed to get into a kitchen. Confined, yet breathable, it was Daniel's favorite room, reminding him of a perfect hug. The smell of brown beans and corn bread wafted through the air and the young man hungrily grabbed a bowl from the cabinet and removed the top of a simmering crock pot.

The aroma filled the room and seemed to push the tension out of it. Daniel quickly scooped a hearty helping of beans into the bowl and grabbed a some of the chopped up onions from the container next to the crock pot. Garnishing his dish with a dash of salt, Daniel began to devour his late lunch.

Darla merely smiled and handed him some day old corn bread before grabbing a magazine and sitting down at the table to read.

Minutes passed and the only sounds present were the distant buzzings of bug Pokémon and the occasional cry of a Tauros or Miltank. However, this did not last as excited barking soon filled the empty space.

Bursting through a doggy flap in the back door that led to the porch a Houndour scrambled along the tile floor, nails clicking rapidly, and leapt at Daniel.

She yipped and licked Daniel's face as he caught the excited young dog on his lap.

"Good afternoon to you, Alice," Daniel managed to stammer out whenever his face was not covered by Houndour tongue. Alice barked in response and then leapt down on the floor and panted happily, stubby tail attempting to wag but only succeeding in wiggling her entire butt.

Darla grinned cheekily at the over-excited pup and she removed herself from the chair, crossed the room, and poured out a hearty amount of food into a bowl. Alice quickly bounded over and began to eat. The young Houndour was a recent acquisition of the family's having been a gift as an egg about a year prior. Youthful and always energetic, she was a charming pet and had already learned some attacks.

"Ugh," groaned a voice from the hallway. "What's with the pitter-patter?" A woman entered the kitchen clutching her forehead with one hand and an empty bottle dangling in the other. She appeared bedraggled with her hair poking out at odd angles and her make-up smeared in some places. Tall and thin, she carried herself upright for the most part other than a few hiccups and stumbles. She was Daniel's mother, June.

The likeness between the two was uncanny. They shared the same golden hair and cerulean eyes and they both had pronounced jaws and high cheekbones. They differed in body type with Daniel having inherited his father's broadness as well as his mother's height, leaving him of above average size, albeit solely in features with very little in muscle.

Grunting, June threw out the bottle in a nearby trashcan only to reach in the fridge and grab another. She slumped into a third chair and gazed absently across the table out the window, her body unconsciously opening the bottle with her own hands.

She took a swig as Darla chastised her. "Dear, isn' it a bit early to be drinkin'?"

June ignored her.

Scowling, Darla continued her verbal admonishment. "June, listen to me, put tha-t beer down and get yo'self cleaned up!" Motherly instincts last forever.

June drained the bottle, tossed it on the ground and then smoothed her hair. She then proceeded to give Darla the most insincere smile she could muster and said, "Better?"

Attempting to alleviate the awkwardness, Daniel spoke up. "So what time did you come in last night, Ma?"

She mumbled her response. "'Bout three in the mornin'."

"It was fo'." Darla corrected. "You come inhere drunk offa yo' butt an' ask me if ya can sleep here!"

"I was fine, mother!" June retorted, standing up to get her third drink of the day. "And can you please be quiet, I gotta headache and I haven't made it go away yet."

Darla humphed and commented, "I don' keep beer in dis house, not since Rick died; I don' drink dat stuff, so when did you go an' getit?"

"Daniel," June continued, "how your classes going?"

Playing with his hat that lay on the table, Daniel replied, "They're going alright, getting pretty-"

"Wonderful," June interrupted. "You find yourself a girl yet?" Her voice was quickly rising in volume.

Daniel refused to answer.

"Ha, come on, boy, you can tell yo' mama if you have or not!" June hollered, finding herself far more amusing than the rest of the participants in the conversation.

"Ma, I'd really rather not talk about it."

"Shoot, boy, you gotta find yourself a girl sometime. Preferably one that won't walk out on your sorry ass!" June hooted with laughter at her own pseudo-joke once again, much to the chagrin of Daniel. Suddenly, June's laughter stopped and she leaned over the table to get closer to Daniel. "Has your father been 'round? Has he been bringing ya a girl?" She spoke as if the subject matter was of the highest secrecy. For a woman who consumed as much alcohol as her, she had remarkably low tolerance.

"Ma, go back to bed," Daniel ordered, rubbing his temples and going for another spoonful of beans.

June grabbed the spoon and flung it across the room, sending beans flying all across the room. "Look here, boy," she started indignantly, rising up from her position. "I am your mama, and you do not tell me what ta do, understand?" The act was undermined somewhat by her constant wobbling.

"Sorry, Ma," Daniel muttered; no real emotion could be found in his voice.

A bottle crashed into the wall, missing Daniel's head by inches. Shattered glass fell into the sink and an unpleasant stench permeated the room; whatever June was drinking, it was not beer.

June grabbed Daniel by the face and bore into him, matching eyes meeting each other; one pair full of fury, the other, exasperation. "Don't pull that sarcasm with me, boy," June threatened. She released her son only to slap him across the face. The sting faded quickly.

Daniel then left the house, taking only hit hat and slamming the door harshly on his way out.

Darla glared at her daughter and the latter shrugged with a snarl and reached into the fridge for a bit more mystery alcohol.

########

Daniel walked blindly. He heard not the wind whistle its cheery song, or the small waves of water created by a swimming Marill in a nearby lake, nor did he hear travellers greet him. Put off by his aloofness, they simply walked on by him and that was okay. The less people spoke to him, the better off he would be.

While walking, his mind whirled in a bizarre maelstrom that kept him from realizing how far into the forest he was travelling.

This was not the first time his mother had thrown a bottle, nor, he assumed, would it be the final time, but she had never done it this early after she came to visit or directly in front of his grandmother, her mother. Something was wrong with her.

'When not drunk,' he thought to himself, 'she's just like Gram, sweet and warm.' A slanted smile found its way across his face, but it disappeared soon after as the smell of alcohol randomly entered his nose.

Snapping out of his reverie, Daniel halted his journey and surveyed the area. Trees dominated the immediate landscape save for a short clearing through which Daniel just passed. Littered throughout the clearing were empty bottles of cheap beer and the lingering scent of cigarettes. The clearing was a well-known hangout for teenages and some twenty-plus adults who were in desperate need of something better to do than to hang around younger people.

Having only heard of the clearing in passing and tired from his impromptu trek, Daniel leaned up against a smooth looking tree and allowed himself to slide down until he was sitting. Holding his head in hands he let out a large exhale and tried to clear his head. It did not work.

Conflicting emotions warred for dominance, each wanting to subjugate Daniel's mind. Love demanded that Daniel accept his mother for who she is; Hate claimed that resentment of and abandonment of his mother was justified; Fear toyed with the idea of living with his mother while Confidence battled it on the grounds of standing firm and resilient. Various other minorities fought and died and revived at inconsequential intervals, all contributing to the furthering of Daniel's headache.

A rustle of leaves, a seemingly tangible concept caused Daniel to snap his head up in response. His jaw dropped.

Knelt before him was a Gardevoir, but not the average kind that were a foresty green, no, this one was a calm shade of blue that lended itself to complimenting its milky white skin. Warm amber eyes gazed at Daniel with confident curiosity.

"Uhh…" Daniel stammered out, causing the Gardevoir to giggle. Unsure of what to say, Daniel attempted to stand, but found himself unable to as the Gardevoir held out a hand and started reaching towards him. It was not as if the thing was using its powers, but Daniel had no clue what it was planning and decided that the best course of action was to stay put.

The three fingered hand moved towards his with deliberate slowness and Daniel felt a cold sweat break out from under his hat. After what seemed like an eternity, Daniel finally felt the Gardevoir's soft skin press into his...nose. Pushing lightly, the Gardevoir caused Daniel's nose to crinkle in a goofy manner.

Profoundly perplexed by the situation, the young man had no response. Suddenly, he heard a very strange and unexpected noise coming from inside his own head. He resisted and rejected the noise initially, but after it persisted his weakened mental walls collapsed and he heard one phrase.

"Boop!" the Gardevoir, whom Daniel could conclude was a female due to the nature of the voice, burst out in a small fit of laughter at Daniel's incredulous expression.

"W-What was that?" Daniel asked quietly. He felt as if he might pass out at any minute

"I 'booped' you!" the Gardevoir replied candidly and with a large grin. "Your emotions were so dark that I could feel you walk into the forest." Removing her legs from underneath her, she levitated a few inches above the ground before crossing her legs in front of her and allowing gravity to place her back on the ground.

Nothing made sense anymore to Daniel. "Umm…" was all he could manage to say.

"Aww," the Gardevoir cooed, "You made words the last time. Here, how about I start? My name is Libra, nice to meet you!" She stuck out her hand with the intent that it be shaken.

Cautiously taking her hand, Daniel reciprocated the gesture and said, "My name is Daniel."

"I like that name," Libra complimented, saying the name a few more times in her head so that she would remember it. She glanced at Daniel's face and giggled once again. "You are completely lost right now, aren't you?"

Daniel simply nodded.

Libra rested her cheek on her hand and closed her eyes. "So, what's confusing you?" She asked the question with a great deal of sarcastic sweetness.

"Yes," Daniel replied.

Opening her eyes, Libra gave a coy glare and said, "Smartass. Be more specific." She laid back on the grass and sighed.

"Where did ya come from, why are you here, what are you doing, and why are you so comfortable with this?" The questions exploded from Daniel and he clapped his hand over his mouth humorously to stop them.

"Where to begin, where to begin?" Grace questioned herself, purposely postponing her answering the questions. A dissatisfied noise from Daniel told her that she probably should start or else he might pass out from a mixture of nerves and absolute bewilderment.

"Well, I'm here because you intrigued me. So much negativity in one place, never seen it before so I came to investigate. I was half-expecting a murder scene or something." As Libra recounted her tale, he spun blades of grass in the air with her mind.

"Sorry to disappoint," Daniel interrupted, leaning against the tree, feeling much more at ease than he had earlier for some reason.

Libra smiled inwardly as she continued to project feelings of tranquility. "Oh, don't be. This is much more interesting, to be honest. Murders are so cliché nowadays." Picking herself up, the Gardevoir began to toss more things around the forest; acorns, grass, berries, twigs, nothing was safe from her mind.

"I must admit," Daniel commented, "You don't seem particularly interested."

"Nah, just need something to play with while I talk is all. Anyway, I'm so comfortable because I was actually owned by another trainer at one point. We parted ways almost a year and a half ago."

Daniel furrowed his brow slightly. "Not many trainers give up a rare Pokémon such as yourself willingly."

Libra chuckled and assuaged, "Don't worry, it was mutual. Neither of us really wanted to continue the partnership and I learned enough to live in the wild and avoid capture and being eaten by dark-types."

Daniel blew out some air and shook his head. Clasping his hands together, he rested them on his chest and listened to his heartbeat for some time. It was a smooth rhythm, steady in tempo, and with little variance.

"That's a pretty way to think of it," Libra chirped.

"Stay out of my head," Daniel commanded only half playfully.

Libra rolled her eyes to a hyperbolic extent. "Spoilsport."

The two remained in silence for a while. Libra listlessly toyed with the eclectic items around her, making different shapes and designs while Daniel watched. It was fascinating to him to see such a creature in action even if the actions performed were simple. He tried to recall all that he had learned about psychic-types and if he had learned anything about the Ralts line in particular. While nothing immediately came to mind concerning the species, Daniel recalled that psychics were quite enamored with things they did not understand.

"We really are. It's like a disease," Libra burst through into Daniel's thoughts.

"What did I say about being in my head?"

"Well it's not my fault when your thoughts are so loud."

Daniel stuck his tongue out at Libra and she mimicked him, resulting in the two laughing at the juvenile moment.

However, this moment was quickly lost as a panicky sensation shot through Libra. She felt absolute terror and crippling irrationality. Overwhelmed, she fell back and her chest heaved; she shared the same breathlessness that had overtaken those stricken by the panicked emotions.

"Libra," Daniel cried, racing over to her, "W-what's wrong?"

Still somewhat hyperventilating, Libra responded, "Something is going on, something very big and very bad. There's panic everywhere." She coughed and spat on the ground next to her as she attempted to calm her breathing to a comfortable level.

Daniel twirled his head around, looking for anything that may be the source of such widespread fear. When he looked up, his heart fell to the earth. A monstrous black smokestack had risen into the sky. The dark army of smoke was working its way to the heavens; it had almost subjugated the sun.

Tracing its origin, Daniel's heart then fell through the earth and into the pits of Hell. The smoke was coming from Solaceon Town.


	2. Phonenix

Daniel ran. It was all he could do. The smoke foreshadowed too many tragic potentials and the young man had to see which of them was correct. There was no room for optimism, only realism; optimism in this case would only be practiced by the fools who now had their arms resting fondly around Death.

Exiting the forest, the straight path to Solaceon was insanity. Screaming travellers darted from place to place, some jumping into the ocean only to be swept away by the unusually strong current, others tripping and falling and being trampled by their fellows, yet most simply mimicked Daniel and ran with no idea to where they were going. Incomprehensible shouting mixed with the various yelps and cries of Pokémon also scattered amongst the route.

Bibarel squealed in fear, leaping into the river in hordes, attempting to lead younger Bidoof there as well; Starly and Staravia attempted to fly away, only to be beaten back by the brutal smoke clouds emanating from the town. It was as if a black shield had been erected so as to purposely prohibit exit by sky. Even rare Pokémon such as Chansey and nocturnal ones like Zubat fled en masse, screeching loudly and causing turmoil with the fleeing trainers of the route.

To complete the terrifying scene, a bright red-orange light bordered all of the chaos. Occasionally individual flames separated from the primary source to accentuate the hellish nature of the inferno; the mouth of Hell had come to swallow Solaceon.

Daniel pushed past all of this, dashing forward against the crowd in a desperate attempt at getting into Solaceon to see what damage was being done. It was irrational and foolish, but his mind was resolute: he needed to find his family.

Bodies rammed against his and voices echoed deafly in his ears, but still he pushed on, barreling through the crazed beings. His lungs burned, craving oxygen but finding only ash, and his legs felt like jelly, but adrenaline commanded his body forward, puppeting his body to move and attaching a few strings to his mind as well so as to keep it from having second thoughts.

Through the cacophony of congealed noise, a single voice managed to pierce through to Daniel, most likely because it was inside of his head.

"Where are you going?!" it demanded to know. The voice belonged to Libra.

Daniel whirled around in surprise, causing a young trainer to slam into him. The younger trainer fell, but was quickly up and running once again, shouting curses at Daniel for stopping so suddenly. "Finding my family!" Daniel roared; the fire in him was rising to match the fire consuming his home.

"That's insane!" Libra chastised as Daniel dashed off again. She levitated around human and Pokémon alike with practiced efficiency and attempted to emit thoughts of calm and peace. Despite her efforts, her own mind was clouded with panic and concern for this bizarre man she just met. He was intriguing and now he was ready to throw his life away to save his family. "How romantic," Libra scoffed to herself, continuing to follow Daniel as they passed over one final bridge and entered the town, or rather, what the town was rapidly becoming.

Fire was everywhere. It danced from building to building, easily devouring the wooden frames, leaving only charred wood in its place before moving to the next victim to satiate its hunger. The lush grass that was once a trademark of the town was now forever blackened and the trees were beginning to alight. Gnarly snakes of fire creeped up aging trunks to set ablaze the richness of Solaceon's previously thriving ecosystem.

It was dark as well. The sun had been long overtaken by the wall of smoke so the only light was the violent red cast by the blaze. Daniel could barely make it through without feeling himself bump into a stray piece of building or some nuance in the road that he had not realized was there. Thankfully, his jeans were thick and built for work so there was little damage to his legs.

Libra floated directly behind Daniel. Using her powers, she feel the objects in the duo's way; she tried to relay this information to Daniel, but his single-mindedness blocked out any attempt. Sighing, she relaxed into simply following and watching her new friend ram into things and cry out in rather creative expressions of pain.

Finally, Daniel and Libra came upon the shop. Vile smells arrested the two's senses and forced them to their knees. The acrid scent of the mixture of burning items continued to assault them and the multi-colored smoke attacked them with a great force.

The tactic was simple, reduce the the target's vision through tears, debilitate the target using any manner necessary, then wait for the heavy artillery to come through and annihilate the opposition. Flawless and battle tested, the blaze stood confident in its victory.

However, Daniel was resilient; he rose from his kneel and sprinted past the store, leaving Libra behind to fend for herself.

His footsteps echoed eerily against the stone pathway to his house as the screaming of frantic fleers was fading into the background. Bursting through the doorway, Daniel ducked out of the way of falling debris. Family photos were making the fire giddy with easy targets as it destroyed the Engel family history one photo at a time. Leaping over a small table, Daniel grabbed photos of his grandparents and parents as well as a brand new one of him and Alice, but dropped them and decided to abandon the endeavor.

A cracking noise came from above Daniel and he saw some sparks falling from the ceiling. He smacked his arm as some of said sparks landed on it, giving him small singe marks. He coughed and fell to the ground, trying to avoid the smoke, but only managing to burn his hands on the hot ground.

The cracking noise came back and Daniel looked up to see several beams falling towards him. He screamed and held his arms up in an instinctive manner. However, nothing fell upon him. Glancing back up, Daniel saw that the beams were outlined in a faint blue aura.

"I really should have let them fall on you," Libra stated somewhat bitterly. She tossed the beams over to the stairs and dropped them into a heap.

Daniel grimaced at his burns and his view of Libra. Her skin was noticeably marked with several scorch marks and her hair was matted to her forehead with sweat. She held a tense expression on her face. "Sorry," Daniel muttered half-heartedly. He went off to run to the rest of the house, but was caught by a force holding him in place.

"You left me in the middle of a fire, you ass," Libra grumbled. Her words were underscored by a tree falling outside, creating a roar as it hit the ground. Libra growled. "You're giving me more than a damn apology when we get out of this." She released Daniel and in an instant he darted off further into the abode. She shook her head and followed him quickly. There was something admirable about his determination, admirable and infuriating.

Suddenly, a barking caught the attention of the duo. It was high pitched and frantic, full of fear and desperation. Originating from the bedroom, Daniel sprinted down a hallway and leapt over a fallen door; Libra followed suit, albeit making sure to simply levitate out of the way.

Throwing open the door, the young man was greeted by Alice. She bit at Daniel's jeans and pulled on them with a clear order: follow me. After seeing her master's agreement to oblige, Alice sped off into the master bathroom where huddled in a small porcelain tub was Darla.

She was huddled and soaked with water. Fortunately, the smoke had not filled the room yet and was still clinging to the ceiling, carefully monitoring its prey. Daniel came to his grandmother's side and she wailed into his shoulders.

"Daniel!" she cried, "Wha's goin' on?" She pulled him into a vice grip masquerading as a hug.

Grunting at the surprising amount of force the old woman could put out, Daniel responded, "The whole town's on fire, Gram. We gotta get out of here!" He pulled the older woman to her feet, but she quickly collapsed again. The open doorways had allowed to smoke to finally make it through and it was quickly filling the room and attacking its inhabitants.

Darla coughed and wheezed in a sickly fashion and almost screamed when Daniel proceeded to take her in his arms bridal style. "We gon' die, Daniel!" she moaned.

"But we aren't dead, yet, Gram!" Daniel retorted, feeling much less confident than he projected. "Now, where to go?"

Daniel moved back into the bedroom, scouting it for any possible way out. The doorway was now completely consumed by the flames, which were rapidly encroaching upon his location. The window was blocked by a thick cloud of smoke and by the time Daniel would manage to open the multiple latches and locks, the flames would have already made them into soot. Damn his grandfather's paranoia.

"Goodness," Libra's voice chimed, "What would you do without me?" She gave a wry smile and then bent low, sucking in some of the last remaining fresh air. It burned her lungs, but it focused her mind just enough to channel some electric energy into her arms. With a yell she launched the Thunderbolt into the side of the house, creating an explosion that was, luckily, aimed forward and out rather than in.

A gaping hole was now the newest addition to the modest house and the group hastily made its way out of it. The fire roared in hatred that its prey was escaping and redoubled its efforts to burn down everything that the prey had left behind.

Stepping out of the house was no reprieve from the omnipresent heat and virulent nature of the inferno. Lush greenery now was no more than shriveled sticks of blackened potential and the town's once proud buildings were rapidly falling into ruin.

Darla wailed once again, burying her face into Daniel's shirt, tears flowing freely. "Ma store, ma home, ma town," she cried, repeating the phrases until her voice was raw with effort.

Hacking, Daniel looked around. No more were obvious landmarks that alluded to the direction of escape and the paths were long since ruined by the mass exodus of life. Voices of the fire department of Hearthome could be heard a distance away,but in the chaos it was impossible to pinpoint from where they came- unless one happened to be a Houndour.

Alice barked excitedly and began to run in a direction that Daniel presumed to be south. Taking off after her, Daniel had to push his body to the extreme. All of the running in poor quality air was taking its toll on him. His legs screamed for rest and threatened to buckle with every step. Bits and pieces of his shoes had melted off from the intense heat and would occasionally slow him down as a wild piece stuck to the ground. His entire chest heaved with the strain of finding pure oxygen to counter to excessive amount of inhaled smoke.

Finally, the end was in sight. Lights pushed through the heavy smoke and the spouting of water could be heard. Forcing himself to carry on, Daniel surged forward and pushed through a final wall of smoke before coming face to face with the fire chief.

A surly old man whose experiences had left his body permanently scarred, he was an old friend of the Engel family and a trustee of sorts to them. He caught Daniel before the young man fell and aided him to the ground, helping Darla off of her grandson and onto the ground next to him. Libra knelt down next to Daniel and Darla, coughing and sputtering as she attempted to form coherent thoughts.

Daniel's vision swam in a myriad of unrecognizable shapes and colors. Nothing really stuck out to him; everything was just a varying shade of red or orange or yellow or black. He could feel his grandmother's breath next to him and something wet explored his left hand, most likely Alice's nose. He felt a presence fall to the ground next to him and as his vision faded, one last color came into sight: blue.

########

The colors were all wrong, a messy attempt at giving the world some life; a child could have done better. Lines were crooked and the shading was non-existent. Yet the world was recognizable to Daniel. He could not tell where he was nor what he was doing, but the area held a familiarity to him despite its oddities.

The trees were all one shade of green, lacking in any diversion from what one would believe a tree to be when he or she was very young. It was the same as the grass, monochrome and boring; the grass did not even seems complete with some areas hastily colored while others remained as if no color had ever been there.

His mind struggled to comprehend it. Further observation proved this to be true in all facets of this bizarre area. Someone had merely scribbled these colors here. Whoever had added color to the world had obviously not drawn it, however.

Intricate detail was abound and plentiful. Each blade of grass, while sloppily decorated had each of its spikelets and stolons included, perfectly placed to best optimize their assigned functions. The ground was brimming with minutiae not present in even the most proficient and anul artists. Each speck of dirt was crafted with various bumps and edges honed to intentional imperfection; the rocks were at differing stages of being engrossed in the dirt and each individual sparkle of mineral or element was given unimaginable attention. It was improbable, no, impossible that anything could have created something such as this; it was so perfect that it became imperfect, so natural that it appeared artificial, and so well crafted that it looked plagiarized from nature itself.

But still Daniel could not comprehend where he was. There were no signs of life other than modern plants and perhaps even more confusing was that there was no feeling. Running his hand over the grass, he could not feel if it was lush or coarse or sticky. His hands felt no scrape or injury as they handled the rocks and no dirt stuck, it simply fell back onto the ground.

His head pounded and even more alarming were how much his ears ached at the lack of sound. The silence was impregnable. Daniel tried to shout, but his vocal chords refused to move, there was no air to be blown to create a whistle and clapping elicited nothing but a disparage of feeling. Where was he? What was this? How was it possible? Why was he here?

Too many questions.

No answers.

No feeling.

No sound.

No taste.

No smell.

Only sight.

The sight was unreliable.

Finally, however, a saving grace appeared. Something that appeared tangible and concrete in an abstract and insane world. A human figure, average height with its shoulders held back confidently. No details could be seen from where Daniel was, only a silhouette with the marked difference of being colored, completely colored, not the childlike job done to the world around him. The figure was a focusing point, tight and unitary.

Then, an action.

The figure waved, a simple gesture accentuated by enthusiasm and over exaggerated motions. It seemed excited to meet a the person and the figure began to bound forward towards Daniel. Or rather, it attempted to do so. Every extreme step that it took, the figure went nowhere, yet appeared to move in the direction it was facing.

This did not last long as the figure ceased to move and put a hand on its hip, popping said hip out in a pouty fashion. Its shoulders rose and fell in what appeared to be a heavy breath despite there being no physical air to breathe in this place. It then pulled out a bizarre shape from its pocket.

Daniel could not decipher was it was until the figure pointed the shape at the young man. Without warning, the figure was not even inches away from Daniel and a gun was held to his forehead. Daniel looked up in time, wide-eyed and with a perpetually silent scream, to see the figure give a manic grin before pulling the trigger to give off the only sound in the world: BANG!

########

Steady and rhythmic, piercing and obvious, the only sound in existence, at least at that moment in time. The methodic beep of a conglomerate of machines filled Daniel's ears. It was all-encompassing and comforted Daniel with its unwavering uniformity.

The next sense to return was taste followed quickly by smell. His mouth tasted stale and the sickly clean nature of the room did little to assuage this. Mint and cleaning fluid combined in a disgusting manner to create that idiosyncratic aroma associated with hospitals.

Daniel shook his head. 'I'm in the hospital?' he thought to himself.

Touch came back but with a vengeance. He could feel all of the places that he was burned. His legs were tight with dead skin and dried medicine and his right hand was compactly bandaged. Soreness wracked his entire body and he still felt warm from the experience.

Finally, sight, his one companion in his strange dream, came back to him as he opened his eyes. They were instantly assaulted with a grotesque shade of green, light and unattractive, it reminded him of a baby's vomit. Machinery lined the room, alien to Daniel. He sat up far too quickly causing him to lose sight once more. After waiting for his companion to catch up, Daniel stared around the room after removing the oxygenizer from his face.

Laying at the corner of his bed was Alice. Being a fire type, she did not suffer any serious wounds other than a scratch on her leg that she could take of herself. Daniel leaned forward and rubbed her head with his good hand, waking her up and prompting her to lick the young man's face voraciously.

Daniel laughed and brought Alice in close to his body, hugging her to his chest and continuing to scratch lovingly behind her ears.

From being seated in a cushy arm chair, Libra rose and made her way over to the side of the bed. After cleaning herself in the room's shower, into which she had teleported so as to avoid any questions by the hospital, she had comforted Alice and taken the chair for her own, reading a magazine and occasionally teleporting away when staff came around while she waited for Daniel to awaken.

Said man smiled at Libra lightly as she made her approach. The two made eye contact and the only sounds made for a while were those made by the heart monitor. Finally, Libra broke the silence.

"I really should slap you," Libra proclaimed, dropping into a more relaxed pose. Her tone was playful, but there was a hint of seriousness behind the words.

"You probably should," Daniel conceded.

Libra exhaled deeply. "But since you're all burned up, I suppose an apology will have to do."

A blush appeared on Daniel's face and his smile disappeared. A closer look showed many patches of Libra's skin to be a violent shade of red and her dress was singed in several places from where it had dragged below her. A feeling of guilt washed over him and Libra's cocky facade vanished quickly as she felt it.

"Hey, now, don't go feeling all bad. I was the moron who decided to follow you, even after you left me."

"Still," Daniel insisted, "I shouldn't have left you… I really don't know how to apologize for that."

Libra sat down on the bed next to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We'll worry about that after the doctors come and fix you and your grandmother up."

The shock hit Daniel like a bag of bricks. "Gram!" he shouted, startling all in the room and causing the beep to increase in tempo. "Is she alright?" Daniel's voice became high pitched and frantic.

Sensing another frantic presence, Libra teleported away and a nurse entered the room. She was of normal height, if a bit smaller, and had fine features. Thick black hair was tied back in a tight ponytail. "Sir, sir! Are you alright, you're charts are going crazy!" She reached out towards Daniel only to be driven back by a growl emanating from Alice.

"Down, Alice," Daniel commanded, managing to calm himself. He rubbed his eyes and apologized. "Sorry, just...do you have a Darla Engel checked in here?"

The nurse nodded cheerily. "She's in the room just next to yours. Don't worry, she's doing just fine, but she'll need to rest here for about a week. Her body isn't gonna heal as quickly as yours will."

Daniel sighed and fell back on the bed. "Thank Arceus," he muttered. Sitting back upright, he asked, "When can I get out of here?"

"Well," the nurse began as she grabbed a nearby clipboard. "Doc says that your injuries are almost all topical." At that point she began checking things off and muttering to herself in medical jargon. After a decent amount of time had passed, she finally spoke. "Looks like if I check out a few things, then you can check yourself out today if you'd like."

Surprised, Daniel quickly submitted to whatever tests the nurse asked. All things turned out to be normal and in good health aside from the various burns and soreness. The nurse, under the doctor's orders, filled out prescriptions for several painkillers as well as recommending certain types of ointments for the burns. Unfortunately, humans had drastically different anatomies than Pokémon and didn't heal easily, nor could they be transferred into data like the creatures with whom they shared the planet.

After around 30 minutes of being disconnected from various machines and getting into his proper, although smelling of smoke, clothes, Daniel checked himself out at the front desk and rapidly made his way to the room in which his grandmother was, Alice quietly in tow.

When he arrived, Darla was casually flipping through magazines, never one to show that anything was bothering her. "Gram," Daniel said breathlessly. He was ecstatic to see her awake and recovering.

Darla put down her magazine and gave Daniel one of the largest smiles she ever had given anybody in a very long time. "Oh, Daniel, ma big, strong hero!" she teased, holding her arms out in front of her.

Daniel moved in to hug her, but did so lightly as she hissed slightly when he touched burned parts of her body. The flames had gotten to her in pretty much all areas that were exposed, leaving almost one half of her body red and even blistering in some places and she was almost entirely covered in white cloth. Daniel did not like it. "Are you doing okay, Gram?"

"I'm doin' al-right," she responded. "Bit discomfortable but al-right." Darla glanced behind Daniel causing him to peer over his own shoulder as well. Alice was all that was behind him and she simply barked and began scratching behind her ear. "Where's dat Gardevoir you was with?"

"Oh," Daniel remarked. "I don't actually know, she teleported off somewhere."

"Where'dya fi-nd her?

"She was in the woods which was where I ran off to after...Ma…" Daniel bit back a curse as he realized that he had never even considered his mother. "Gram, have you seen Ma?"

"Yea, I did," she grunted, "She ran off afta you walked out. We got in a spat and she jus' up an' left. Took Trixie witha."

Trixie was the family's Rapidash, a remnant from the farm days, but it had bonded most closely with June so the two were often seen in each other's company.

"We in Veilstone, Daniel," Darla continued. "She rode off this way so she probably somewhere 'round here."

"Thanks, Gram," Daniel said, though he didn't move from where he was standing.

The two stayed in an awkward silence for a while before Darla finally spoke. "Daniel, I'm not goin' anywhere an' I can take care a mahself. You go and do what you wan'."

"You sure, Gram?" Daniel asked, not entirely convinced.

Darla beamed. "You a good boy Daniel, always have been. Ya stayed here wit me, a whining ol' bitty an' now ya still won' leave meh. Go on, have fun. Solaceon is gone and so is our lives dere. I gots some ol' friends who still lives here an' I can live wit' dem til we get me set up in a home of some sorts."

"Gram, you said you didn't want to-"

"Daniel," Darla interrupted, "It's not da bes' thing in da world, but it's what needs ta happen. You got yo' money saved from da shop and I got mi-ne. Go on, get out into da world, take all da classes you want and get dat degree ya been workin' fo'! Daniel...you've had your wings for a while now, and I want you to fly, fly higher than the clouds in the heavens! You hear me, boy?"

Daniel grinned, "I hear you, Gram."

"Now, come 'ere," Darla demanded, holding out her hands again. The two embraced and Darla planted a light kiss on Daniel's cheek. "Now, for da las' time, go on. Show da world what 24 years of growin' has produced."

Daniel moved to leave the room, though he turned once and smiled at his grandmother before leaving and walking down the hallway.

Alice, however, remained in the middle of the room, conflicted as to what to do. She craned her head to look up at Darla who said, "You go on, too, ya hear. He gon' need someone to look out fo' him if dat Gardevoir don't show up again and I'd prefer it be someone who can burn people to a crisp!"

Alice barked happily and Darla reached over to her bed stand. She grabbed two Pokéballs, one which was empty and one that belonged to Alice. She tossed them to Alice who caught the two spheres in her mouth, creating a goofy looking muzzle. "Bring 'em to Daniel, just in case."

Yipping as best she could through a mouth full of Pokéball, Alice dashed out of the room and down the hallway, catching up with Daniel almost immediately. He knelt down and removed the slobber-covered balls from Alice's mouth and wiped them on his shirt as he and Alice exited the hospital.

Daniel squinted and glanced at his watch. The time read 5:34 p.m. He had been asleep for more than a day thanks to powerful sedatives that aided in expediting the healing process in humans. A foreign noise caught his ear and he turned to see Libra standing before him, arms crossed and wounds healed.

"You doin' alright?" Daniel asked.

"Yep. Found some unused burn medicine out behind the Pokécenter so I'm pretty much 100%," Libra responded brightly. Daniel turned and began walking down one of the few streets he knew in the city. Following him, Libra called out, "So, where are we headed?"

Raising an eyebrow, Daniel kept walking but asked, "You're coming with us?"

"If I know where we're going."

Daniel stopped and turned, meeting Libra's challenging eye and said, "We are going...to the bar."


	3. The Justice of Suffering

The city of Veilstone was not a traditional one. Rather than high rise buildings and crowded streets, the city favored elongated, low-to-the-ground structures. This was presumably due to the excessive amount of earthquakes that originated around the city. That is not to say, however, that the city was not large. The buildings did not rise up through their own height, but rested atop various hills and ledges that earned the city the title "The Jagged City."

Daniel walked up a steep street and took a few turns. The human hospital was located just a few blocks away from his favorite bar so he knew where to go. As he passed the buildings he had come to recognize throughout the years, he felt a sensation that he had not felt prior. He felt bewildered, awestruck by the variances in the city's elevation. He felt in awe of the creative structures created designed to be resilient towards all that dared to threaten the way of life in Veilstone.

Unable to place the origin of these feelings, Daniel attempted to ignore them, instead focusing on putting one foot in front of the other until he reached his destination. 'Right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot…' he repeated inside of his head to the beat of a song he had heard on the radio in the hospital's lobby. Despite this, he could not shake the foreign sensations, nor could he figure out why he was feeling that way. He had been to this part of Veilstone many times throughout his life whether it had been his early life on random visits with his grandfather or now when he wanted a drink.

A form drifted by him and the feelings intensified. The form was Libra and her eyes were like plates after a wash, sparkling and large. Her gaze shifted every which way as she blindly followed Daniel's path, taking in every detail of the city's nuances. From its architecture to the way people moved to how those on the street greeted one another, everything was fascinating to her. The different emotions people felt were entrancing as well.

She could feel the exhaustion from those exiting the gym, and her senses tingled with glee and disappointment when she passed the game corner. Exasperation came from the local school as well as confusion, apathy, and excitement. Such variance was absent from the wild or even her original home and Libra could not get enough of it. She was losing herself to be one with the emotion-packed city.

At least until she rammed into a pole.

"Ow…" she murmured as Daniel and Alice roared with laughter. The slapstick-style occurrence really was not supposed to translate into reality. Libra rubbed her face as it reddened both from the impact and from embarrassment. "Yes, yes, it was very funny," she begrudgingly conceded. "Now we can all stop laughing!"

Wiping a tear from his eye, Daniel could not help but chuckle a few more times as Libra whirled around and continued walking. She held her posture in check and refused to allow her thoughts to get away from her so easily again.

Within minutes the group had arrived at the bar. A neon sign flashed in late afternoon sun and flowery calligraphy spelled out, "Reed's Place." Leaning against the main entrance was a large, imposing bouncer. Head shaved, rugged, and buff, Pasha was the best bouncer in Veilstone and people paid good money to have him. Except for Reed, the owner of the bar, that is; the two were childhood friends and Pasha worked for Reed when one of his own could not make it into work that day.

Daniel tipped his hat to the bouncer, but was met with a stern hand.

"The Houndour can't come in," he informed, relaxing his arm back down to his side. "Reed's policy. Too hairy. Unless she fights."

Alice whimpered and put her tail between her legs, but Pasha had long become immune to the wiles of cute Pokémon and attractive humans. He shook his head and Alice gave up the act, but hung her snout in legitimate sadness.

Daniel smiled half-heartedly at her. "Sorry, girl." He pulled out her Pokéball and clicked the button to allow the red beam to pull Alice into the sphere. Turning back to face Pasha, Daniel asked, "Is Libra allowed?"

"She the Gardevoir?" Pasha asked. Daniel nodded in affirmation. "Yea, she's fine, don't got no more hair than some humans." The hulking man moved from his position and revealed a simply doorway to Daniel and Libra. "Enjoy your stay. Don't cause trouble. Pay before you leave."

Daniel tipped his hat once again and then entered the bar with Libra in tow. While not a dive bar, Reed's Place was certainly not what one would refer to as five-star quality. The walls were painted white and blue, the city's official colors according to the gym leader, and eclectic oddities hung on the walls and from the ceiling to serve as decorations. It was a rather spacious place with most of the tables pressed up against the sides and the bar located on an elevated platform in the back. This was to allow for plenty of space for socializing and the occasional brawl between trainers that were allowed so long as it did not get out of hand.

Making his way over to his favorite table, Daniel motioned for a server. He pulled up a seat near one of the two windows in the establishment and then gestured for Libra to sit down. He began to stare out of the somewhat dingy window while he waited for service and left Libra to examine the bar for herself.

The feeling in here was drastically different from outside. She could no longer feel the exciting changes in emotion. Indeed, the only emotions she could really feel were despair and giddiness with the latter only slightly outweighing the former. The decór was awful and the place smelled dirty and the air was heavy due an apparently broken A/C unit.

A young brunette approached the table and asked for Daniel's order.

"Uh, give me a Blue Luna White and an order of chili fries."

Scribbling down his order, the waitress asked, "The Garde want anything?"

Libra silently shook her head in response and the waitress pocketed her notebook and went off to put in the few orders she had taken.

"Why is this your favorite bar, exactly?" Libra questioned, lifting her dress so that it would not touch the surely unsanitary floor. Her dress had already been messed up once, it was not going to be so a second time.

Daniel chuckled. "It's not the best establishment, now is it?"

"It's really not," Libra said as she looked at a rather unpleasant woman awkwardly scratching her lower back.

"I like it because it's cheap and because for what it is, the food is pretty darn good."

"I'll take your word for it…" Libra resumed her judgemental gazing as Daniel's food popped up on the table. 'Ooh, fast, too,' the Gardevoir thought, desperately trying to find an excuse to go outside, not that she needed one before, but it felt a bit more rude to leave the table than the hospital bed, for some odd reason. Damned human etiquette was coming back to her.

She decided to pass the time by scanning some thoughts of patrons while Daniel ate. Two men were, shockingly, thinking about the pretty young waitress that had serviced them. Another was thinking about the mountain of debt that he had accrued with some unpleasant folks. A young couple over in the corner were thinking of how quickly they could make it to the bathroom without being noticed and then how to make a hasty escape. Perhaps the most peculiar was a thought pattern she felt outside. It was erratic and unfocused, seamlessly bouncing from one incomplete thought to the next without warning and without reason. She increased her concentration to listen in further on his thoughts but she was cut off suddenly. An impediment had moved between the two of them, likely some sort of dark-type; they could block telepathic signals if they wanted to.

"Hey, mister!" a guy called over to Daniel, snapping Libra out of her reverie. One of the guys hoping to get with the waitress had wandered over and was now leaning abnormally close to the both of them. He needed a breath mint. "Hey, you a trainer, too?"

Daniel swallowed a fry and took a swig of his beer before responding. "Nope," he responded bluntly, taking another drink. Libra took note that within the ten minutes that she had been scanning, there were now an additional two bottles, totalling three.

"Ha!" the man bellowed. "You got yourself a nice 'Mon like that and try to tell me that you ain't a trainer. Ha!" He pulled out a Pokéball and released the content inside. A Vigoroth appeared in the middle of the bar, hooting in its native language. Libra understood it to be simple boasts and taunts. "Come on, buddy, you and me; my Vigoroth and your Gardevoir, what do you say?"

"I say," Daniel started before suckling some more beer from his bottle and then slamming it down on the table, "No. Final answer." The finality of his tone struck all inside the establishment and threw the other man for a couple of seconds before he finally responded.

"Fine, guess you're just not it the mood." Before he left the table, he took out a small electronic device. It was a crimson rectangle. Libra recognized it as a Trainer's Assistant, or T.A. Most trainers had them as they were promoted as all-purpose devices including clocks, calculators, I.D. scanners, and Pokédexes. He opened up a small flap on the top and a wide red line shot from it and moved vertically downward over Libra.

The device beeped twice and then gave off a harsh sound indicating a negative response. The expression on the man's face rose significantly. "Oh, oh! I see why you don't wanna battle. She ain't yours! She's a wild!"

Quickly pocketing the device, the man pulled out an Ultra Ball and moved to throw it towards Libra. He launched the ball slowly and his expression turned from one of excitement to one of shock.

Libra had shut her eyes and braced herself to be prepared to break out of the ball, but it was unnecessary as Daniel had managed to catch the ball in his own hand. Calmly placing the ball on the table, he reached into his own pocket and pulled out the empty Pokéball that Darla had given him. He lightly tapped Libra's forehead and she was sucked into the device. It wiggled for a short time before finally settling. He pressed the button and released Libra. With a smug expression, he retorted, "Now she is."

The man was incredulous, but he had no argument. He simply took the unused ball, recalled his Vigoroth and moved back to where his pervert friend was laughing, resulting in the former slapping him on the head.

"Waitress, another, please!" Daniel called out as his server passed him. She gave a nod of acknowledgement and Daniel reclined in his chair, draining the remainder of his beer.

Libra gave him a judgmental look. "How'd you catch that ball?"

"Used to play baseball when I was a kid. Played in high school, too." The waitress stopped by and delivered Daniel's beer, opened and ready. He took a sip and said, "Guess I haven't lost my catching arm." He raised the beer to his lips, but suddenly felt a wave of disapproval and put it down, uneasy as he was not sure from where the feeling came.

Libra scowled, "I guess it hasn't…"

Daniel reached for his beer again, only to be confronted by the bizarre feeling of dissatisfaction. This time, however, he pushed through and managed to get a drink before a psychic force made his hand put the bottle down. Daniel glared at Libra and threatened, "I will release you and give you to that guy over there."

Libra was not intimidated. "You just gonna sit here and drink everything that happened away? That your plan?" Her tone was harsh, perhaps unintentionally, but she did not want to see him deal with things this way.

"Yea, so what if I am?" Daniel questioned, trying to move his arm or at least transfer the bottle to his other hand. Neither were permitted to move.

"Your self-awareness does you no credit, Daniel."

"And your nagging does you none, Libra."

The two glared at each other for a time, neither willing to let the other have their way.

Daniel wanted to drink. His home had burned down and deep within his stomach he could feel an awful pit forming. He felt guilty for letting Darla be hurt, and his hand burned with the sensation of touching the floor. Everything was unpleasant and gross; so conscious of it was he that he could feel the skin flaking off of his legs. It was disgusting and vile and nasty and his fault. Alcohol made everything numb. He could be numb, at least temporarily. Just long enough for the pain to go away, then he would feel. Then he would stop.

Libra was listening to every thought. It was a mirror image of words she had heard long ago. He would not stop, she knew, if he started. She probed his mind gently, careful not to alert him that she was doing so. She found images of his mother, all of them were of her with a drink on her hand and a whacked-by-a-hammer grin on her face. 'Like mother like son,' she internalized.

The staredown continued until the waitress's voice managed to get through to them. "You want me to clear these dishes?" she asked. It was such a normal statement that neither answered for a time. Daniel finally nodded briskly and pushed all of the empty bottles and the empty platter towards the waitress. Libra pushed the mostly full one onto the platter without alerting the waitress. The young girl walked away absently wondering what was wrong between the two.

Daniel pursed his lips and blew out a breath through his nose in an exasperated manner. "Was it really necessary," he complained, "To get rid of my beer?"

Libra smiled falsely. "Of course!" Her reply was far too cheery. Daniel was quite frustrated, she could tell even without being an empath. He was becoming flushed and he was flexing his left hand and his shoulders were moving with exaggerated motions.

"Okay, you're the one who decided to follow me, but I don't want you here if you're just gonna pull crap like this!" Daniel ranted, removing his hat and placing it on the table.

The Gardevoir merely grinned and began to trace her finger around the brim of the hat, resulting in it being quickly snatched back by an irate Daniel. "And because of it," she stated haughtily, "Neither your nor your family is dead." She made sure to emphasize the word "dead."

Daniel had no response. She was right. If Libra had not been with them, he would have been crushed by the falling beams. Even if he managed to somehow worm his way out from underneath the wreckage and find his grandmother and Alice, they would have been trapped in the bedroom and been just another bunch of burned corpses. Daniel grunted.

Libra carefully analyzed his emotions. They were a disaster. Guilt stabbed his gut repeatedly; the soul-crushing amount was truly astonishing. It was as if the man blamed himself for the entirety of Solaceon's destruction, as if his not being there was the sole cause of the fire. It was foolish, but Libra could not help but lose some of the cockiness she was feeling. More striking, perhaps, was the amount of hatred he felt. It was not directed at anybody, not even at himself, but everything was equally hated. There was nothing for him to blame, and he despised that, there was nothing that he could really do, a fact that caused him much anguish, and he did not have anywhere to go, which left him lost and forlorn. The third deity in his trio of fascist emotions was a deep and profound sadness. Daniel was rapidly slipping into depression, Libra could feel it. Her antagonizing was not helping. Perhaps it would have been better for her to just let him continue drinking.

'No,' she resolved. She had seen the consequences of wanton consumption. No matter the cause, that was not a solution; it was temporary and weak, but so very charming. It could cause Giratina to worship Arceus or convince Ho-oh to dive into the ocean if it wanted. The substance disgusted her. Bizarrely, when she read Daniel, his drinking had a familiarity to it. She could not locate the origin of this familiar feeling, but she somehow felt an internal connection to his behavior. 'Like mother like son,' she repeated.

"Dear Arceus…" Daniel whispered, his voice cracking. Libra moved her gaze to where he was staring. Situated on the wall was a flat screen television set that had been mounted haphazardly above the bar. The evening news was on and it was covering the recent fire that had taken a city off of the map.

"Yesterday, at approximately 2:30 in the afternoon, the townsfolk were alerted to a fearsome sight: a large fire. The blaze is assumed to have started in the northern end of town, close to the famed ruins. The death toll is currently reported to be in the high twenties with still more being found. Pokémon and human alike are being found. Officials say that it is too early to tell whether the fire was set intentionally or not, but they have released photos of the aftermath of it all." The reporter was obviously attempting to appear professional and collected, but as she continued the story, her voice wavered and she slipped up in her wording.

Photos of the scene then began to cycle through on the monitor. Daniel had to turn away. He did not want to see what remained of his home. However, curiosity got the best of him and he looked anyway. What he saw made him sick to his stomach. The hollow frames of buildings stood crumbling, only to be lost against the sea of blackness that was the ground. Trees were felled in every direction, leaves burned to nonexistence and branches nothing more than spindly twigs attached to a carcass. Another picture, this one of the Pokécenter. Parts of its red roof managed to avoid being singed, but it was a sardonic reminder of what had once been. Another picture: It was what was previously the inn. The building had originally stood proud and tall, boasting comfortable rooms and a decent breakfast. However, it was now nothing more than a few beams held up by disfigured supports that looked ready to give way at any moment.

The TV was then clicked off. As it did so, the air seemed to flow once again, releasing pent up tension that had been snuck in by the somber news story. The owner of the bar, Reed, put the remote in his back pocket and commented, "That's enough of that." He then reached behind the bar and closed it, pulling down a metal sheet to cover his precious stock.

Libra could hardly believe the destruction. When she was there, inside the blaze itself, she felt enthralled with everything. Adrenaline had pumped through her veins and she and Daniel were the dramatic heroes making the daring final rescue, just like she had seen in the movies that she loved to watch when she was younger. However, in those movies, they never showed the consequences of such acts. She never could have comprehended how upsetting such consequences could be.

She looked over to Daniel. He was a mess. His skin was pale, almost as pale as Libra's and he was sweating profusely. His eyes bulged, but they stared at nothing, frosted over with a layer of absence. His mouth opened and closed sporadically and his nose was running. He looked as if he was about to simply expire then and there. Libra could not read his emotions, for there were none there to read. He had lost the capacity for emotion and was now almost catatonic.

Cautiously, Libra reached out her hand and pressed it to Daniel's arm. He was cold, almost frigid. However, with her touch she exuded a warmth that began to spread through Daniel. As she comforted and calmed herself, she did the same for Daniel, giving positive thoughts of reconstruction and storming through the debris to find a new life. It seemed to do the trick.

Color returned to Daniel and his skin warmed dramatically. He finally focused on something, his hat. He took it in his hand and returned it to its place on his head. He reached across his body and rested his bandaged hand atop Libra's.

"I'm gonna owe you for a lot once this is settled, won't I?" he mused, a small smile coming across his face.

Libra could not help but smile as well. "Tell you what, can you make me a promise and then you don't owe me anything?"

"What is it?"

"Don't let yourself lose hope." It was more of a command than a request.

Chuckling, Daniel replied, "You got it, but only if you can do something for me."

"Oh?" Libra responded, not expecting additional terms to be added and intrigued as to what he could say.

"Make sure I don't do anything stupid like I was a few minutes ago."

Libra removed her hand from his arm and wrapped it around his shoulder. Mimicking her, Daniel put his arm around her and the two drew each other into a hug. "You got it," Libra said quietly. It was as if the two were signing a contract of sorts and this was their signature. Libra would look out for Daniel, but she felt as if he was also going to look out for her through some unspoken, unwritten clause that he had personally added into their contract..

The two released from their embrace and Daniel took his hat off again and laid his head down on the table, cradling it in his arms. Despite her best efforts, Libra could not heal all of Daniel's wounds, that would take time. She stared off into space for a while as the silence rested upon them like a blanket. The squeaky ceiling fan was the only noise in the room. Chatter had died down and the TV was not playing, creating an air of camaraderie. None wanted to be the fool that broke the sanctity. All were sobered by the news story, all were calm by the news story.

Of course, this could never last for long. The door to the establishment swung open and a man leapt into the room deftly, landing hard in the middle of the area. He gracefully bowed.

Daniel picked his head up and stared at the man. He was average height and he held his shoulders back confidently. He had a long face, accentuated by a scraggy goatee and and a grandiose posture.

"'Ello!" he greeted, enthusiasm evident in his voice. With surprising speed, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handgun. "Run!" he commanded with flourish and launched off a shot that echoed into the previously silent air, completely shattering the protective shield.

No one moved. There was too much confusion, too much fear, and too little information. The man put his free hand on his hip and popped it out in a pouty fashion. "Ah said, 'RUN!'" He fired several more bullets, landing at remarkably empty spaces on the walls, but it was enough to send the bar into a panic.

Bodies slammed into each other as they ran for the exit, one woman even created an exit of her own as she managed to climb onto a table and leap out the window. Screams occasionally arose from the scattered group. Throughout this, the mysterious man stayed perfectly still, gun raised in a threatening fashion and a casual smile on his face.

Libra sprang into action. She felt adrenaline course through her; she hopped up off of her feet so that she was floating in midair and let out a quick surge of psychic energy. Her training was coming back to her, moves not native to her species flicked through her mind, techniques, both physical and mental, were simulated in her mind's eye; she felt deadly.

By this point, the crowd was gone and the man was standing alone in the middle. Daniel had drawn the table down so that he was shielded from any stray fire. 'What does this guy want?' Daniel thought, trying to piece together exactly what was occurring. He glanced at the gun wielding assailant and then at Libra. She was glowing with power and looked ready to jump into action. However, the man noticed this as well and with an almost imperceptible nod of his head, a Zoroark emerged from the shadows, launching itself over top of Libra right as she let loose a Psychic.

The attack met with the Zoroark's body and it laughed as it felt the attack land and then fizzle out. The creature twisted in midair and then planted both of its clawed feet on the ground, digging into the wood and stopping. It quickly formed a dark aura around itself and shot it at Libra, connecting almost instantaneously.

Libra flew backwards and ended up sprawled on her back, eyes closed in instinctual protection. She quickly opened them and attempted to lift herself back up, but she felt a strong hand grab her arm: Daniel's hand. He pulled her into his hiding spot and whispered, "Don't do anything dumb! It's a dark type, you stand no chance!"  
"I'm a fairy-type, too, you know," Libra retorted, prickling. She wanted to fight.

"Yea, I'm aware," Daniel commented dryly. "It's all anyone in the science community has been talking about lately."

"Then let me go fight," Libra urged, once again trying to pull away.

"Look, something isn't right here. Let's just keep it low for now and we will see what's going on."

"Fine," Libra grumbled. She still felt hyper from the adrenaline, but she allowed her accrued energy to dissipate. Daniel smiled and the two attempted to subtly lean their heads out from around the table.

The man and Zoroark had approached the bar. With a great deal of flamboyance the man hopped atop the bar counter and began to whine. "O' where, o' where is ma li'le pup?" His voice was thick with a Hoenn accent and he sounded as if he had just arrived in Sinnoh. "I do so missa somethin' awful! Won't she come owt an' play?"

He laid down so that his back was flat across the bar and his legs dangled on the front side while his head drooped down over the back. Though Daniel could not see it, he assumed that the man found for whomever he was searching due to a giddy exclamation of, "Ah-ha! 'Ere ya'are!"

With a shocking amount of straight, the man grabbed the girl behind the counter and threw her over the bar, sitting upright as he did so, as if he were doing a sit-up. The girl landed in the center of the semi-arena, dazed and with a Zoroark holding its claws to her neck. It surprised Daniel to see that it was the very waitress who had served him that day. Thinking back, he realized that he did not remember ever having seen her around before that day.

The man, now in a seated position, crossed his legs effeminately and placed one hand on his cheek and the other pointed a gun at the girl. "Ello, lovey!" he bellowed, his tone filled with an inappropriate happiness.

"W-who are you?" the waitress asked, subtly trying to back up only to be met with the furry body of the Zoroark resulting in a growl that persuaded her not to move.

"Me?" he asked, feigning surprise. "Why, Ah'm tha Grim Reaper! OF JUSTICE!" He cried out the last part with such bombacity that it caused all involved to flinch in surprise. "And Ah'm 'ere ta kill ya! Shou'n't 'ave been sucha naughty girly, now shouldya?" His voice seemed to rise and fall. Regardless of his purpose, he was quite the thespian.

The girl made a noise in her throat before she spoke. "W-w-why...w-why…"

"Oh, lovey, do drop that annoying innocent schoo' girl act, is really quite patronizing."

The girl grimaced and then her expression hardened. No longer had she the appearance of a young girl simply in need of work, but that of a professional angered by the fact that she was cornered. "So you're here about that spat, are you?" she asked, her words were cold and she forced them out with venom.

Giggling, the man replied, "Now, now, you di'n't think that you'd ge' away wit' it, now didya? No, but now you know wha' is laik being on tha recieving end of things!" He shot off another round, allowing it to graze by the waitress's ear and cause her to fall from her seated position and into a protective fetal one, earning a round of laughter from the man. "Oh lookie 'ere, the big, bad killa is all curled up! Just like tha young girl who you sho' at so you could get to 'er gram and pappy! How ironic!" He hooted with laughter once again and allowed himself to slide off the end of the bar and onto his feet. He began walking towards the pseudo-waitress with the strides of a predator coming to eat its already dead prey. His boots, light and efficient, clicked on the hardwood floor.

"They were threats to national security!" the woman screamed, arising from her vulnerable position. "I did what had to be done!"

The man punched her, sending her sprawling onto her side. When she picked herself up, the gun was pressed to her forehead. "They were grandparents, retirees, former members of tha Elite Four! He lowered his gun and shot the woman in the knee, leading her to cry out in agony. "They were an asset to tha country, tha's what they were, and now they're dead!" He shot her other knee.

"I did what-" she never finished her statement before being interrupted by her own scream as she was shot in the stomach by the man.

"Oh, keep talking, Ah got plenty mo' bullets."

The woman remained silent.

"Alright, then, bein' quiet works, too." The man took aim at the woman's right shoulder.

"This is fo' Glacia." BANG!

He aimed at her left shoulder.

"This is fo' Drake." BANG!

He aimed at her head.

"And this, this is fo' that li'le girl you left all crumpled up." He grinned maniacally

BANG!


	4. So it Begins

The creak of the ceiling fan resounded around the room. Pictures of people stared in horror at the scene before them, horror and fascination. A dead woman now laid in the middle of the bar, blood collecting beneath her in a sticky pool of once-life. Her eyes were wide and stared at the ceiling fan disinterestedly. Her mouth was hung agape. Wounds oozed but made no attempts to congeal over themselves; it was a fruitless endeavor to do so. The memories of the gun's noises attempted to break the silence inside the heads of the two witnesses to the brutal murder. Death would soon be pleased.

Atop the body stood the mysterious man that had made the donation to Death's collection. His pose was one of triumph, self-satisfaction...happiness. His smile was plastered to his face in such a way that it appeared to be painful. He holstered the gun and knelt down beside the woman, shutting her eyes and murmuring something incomprehensible. Rising, he put his hands on his hips and rolled his shoulders lazily.

"Well that wa' fun!" he shouted randomly, swinging one leg around so that he faced the bar. He began to stride over to the area until he paused and leapt in the air, clicking his heels together in ecstasy. "Woo!" he cried thrusting his hands skyward, "That wa' one of tha mos' fun killin's yet! Wouldn'tcha say so, Ray?"

The Zoroark, apparently named "Ray" merely grunted in response, reclining in one of the booths that had not been overturned in the preceding chaos.

"O' don' be a prissy Priscilla," the man chastised. He stuck his lower lip out in an exaggerated motion. "Look, now ya made me all sad." He began to wail. "O' heavens, ma one true frien' doesn' want me to be happay! What a day! What a tragic day!" He fell against the floor, slamming his knees hard against the wood. He supported himself by having one elbow on the bar, the other arm was across his face as he continued his self-induced temper tantrum.

Ray grunted again, this time closing his eyes and resting his arms behind his head.

The man's head snapped up, a grin back on his face. "Come on, ol' buddy, be a sport!" Ray did not respond. "Uuuuuuugggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh," the man groaned. "Fineeeeeeeeeeeeeee, guess I'll just have me some a-dult bev-er-AH-ges!" Hopping up and sliding into the barstool, the man patiently interlocked his fingers and smiled pleasantly as he looked about the room as if he was merely a tourist seeing the sights.

Daniel, now thoroughly confused, removed his head from its peeking position. Libra followed suit. The two looked at each other in bewilderment. Whoever this man was, there was something very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very wrong with him. Daniel tried to whisper something but it came out as a series of unintelligible gargling.

Libra closed her eyes and focused in on the man's thoughts and emotions; she was immediately overwhelmed. She realized that he was the bizarre thought pattern that she had noticed earlier while scanning the bar. Erratic was too big of an understatement to describe his thoughts. Thoughts were birthed and then slaughtered and then revived only to be toyed with for a time until they were once again slaughtered by another thought. In addition, the concepts were capricious. If there was any whim in which the man's mind wished to indulge, it did so and with great vivacity, only to grow bored and move onto its new fancy.

Perhaps, however, even more powerful than that was the eerily intense happiness that the man felt. Libra was unable to detect even the slightest bit of another emotion. He showed no fear or anxiety or anger or regret or...anything. He was happy and it made Libra's head hurt. She gripped her temples and pulled her legs into her body, curling into an upright fetal position. "Ow ow ow…." she whispered, beginning to lightly rub the side of her head.

Daniel looked on, feeling slightly guilty that he could do nothing to assuage her. His first instinct was to grab Libra and dash for the door. This plan did not last long in his head. Examining the man, Daniel figured that he probably would be able locate Daniel and gun him down before he even got to his feet.

"Oh, Reeee-eeeeed!" the man sang in falsetto. Daniel gazed out into the area to see the man raising his hand politely like a school child. "I would like ah drink, please!"

Surprisingly, Reed stepped out from the back door that led to the kitchen. He grimaced at the grisly scene before him but turned his attention to the man who perked up in his seat. Heavy-set, red-faced, and hunched, Reed owned the bar and was one of the primary creators of the specialty drinks. His ability to concoct delectable and easily consumable drinks was on par with that of famous chefs creating dishes. Reed moved in behind the bar and sighed heavily, his entire form sagging as he did so.

"Look, can't you get her out of here first?" Reed pleaded, rubbing his cheek with a meaty hand.

"Tsk tsk, I told you, the clean-up crew doesn' come till a few hours after everythin' 'as transpired!" The mysterious man chortled and shifted in his seat so that he was in a more casual pose. "Gimme a Noivern 'urricane!"

"Want lemon?" Reed asked, earning a nod in response. The owner worked with a phenomenal degree of efficiency. Various alcohols fell into a frosted glass filled with ice. Gin and rum swirled together and soon fruits were added so as to offset the intensity of the alcohol. Quickly garnishing the cup with a slice of lemon, Reed presented the mysterious man with the drink.

The man clapped his hands giddily and bounced in his seat as Reed pushed the drink forward. "Oh goody! Thank you, ma good man!" Reed rolled his eyes and set himself against a part of the wall not lined with bottles. The mysterious man sipped delicately from his glass and squealed with delight as the concoction graced his lips. He took another, larger sip, and hooted in approval. "Reed, ma friend, they don' make 'em like you do!"

"Thank you," the owner replied quietly. Raising his voice, he said, "Now, you still have to pay for that.

The man ignored the comment. "But...you know what makes this 'ere drink tha bes'?" Reed make an irritated noise that went unnoticed by the flamboyant man. "Is that wondrous aroma that is all around us!" He grinned toothily. "Is the smell of blood, brings tha whole drink togetha!" He yelled the last part and then downed the beverage in a flourish then slammed the glass down on the table, shattering it in the process. "You make 'em tha best, Reedy!"

The portly bar owner shifted uncomfortably and held out his hand. "Pay up," he demanded though with a quavering voice.

"Oh, jus' put it on ma tab."

"You're tab's maxed out."

"Dearie me...that won' do, not at all." The man put a hand to his chin in ponderance before snapping and shouting, "I know!" He swirled in his chair and Daniel ducked behind the table in hopes that he had not been noticed. "Le's make tha man and the Gardevoir pay fo' it! They seem like nice people. At least, when they come outta the table!"

Daniel froze, unsure of what to do. Libra had only just recovered from her head pain but was still dizzy from the experience and the Zoroark was obviously someone with whom they should not trifle. The young man's eyes darted around, attempting to find some sort of pathway to escape, but there were none. The windows and door were too far and he stood no chance in combat against these two mysterious assailants. He had one option. Taking Libra's hand, he stood up gently and tipped his hat to the man who called for him.

Clapping, the man leapt from his seat and greeted them excitedly. "'Ello to ya! Name's Serj! Wha's yours?" Serj approached with an uncomfortable amount of friendliness, hand extended and thrusted into Daniel's vicinity.

Nervously taking it, Daniel found himself pulled back to the bar where he and Libra now sat.

"Reed! Get these faine people somethin' ta drink, by Arceus, man!" Serj commanded, dramatically pointing to the rows of alcohols that bordered the bar.

Reed looked uneasy but asked, "Daniel, what'll you have?"

Daniel, who had not spoken a word in this entire exchange thought for a moment. He could still feel the light buzz brought on by his earlier escapades and really was not in the mood for a drink, especially with a dead body directly behind him and a Zoroark by the door.

"Gin an' tonic, wonderful choice, my friend!" Serj suddenly hollered and then slammed his fist on the counter. "Get to it, Reedy Boy, chop chop!" Reed left to go and make the simple drink and the assassin turned to Daniel, both hands placed on his chin, a look of excitement on his face. His eyes twinkled with an unusual amount of mischief. "So," he said, "Wha's your name?"

The young man hesitated; his father had always told him not to talk to strangers, after all. "Name's Daniel," he heard himself saying absent-mindedly.

"I laik it!" Serj bellowed enthusiastically. "And the Gardevoir's? You did name 'er, di'n'cha?"

"No, she already had a name when I found her," Daniel responded defensively.

"Ooh! Excitin' stuff! So wha's 'er name?"

Daniel heard Libra's voice. "You can tell him." Judging the tone of her voice, Daniel quickly figured that Libra had absolutely no intention of speaking a word to the man.

"Her name is Libra."

Serj looked stunned, his eyes wide, his mouth in the shape of an "O," and his hands outstretched. "Tha's sucha cool name!"

Reed approached quietly and slowly slid Daniel's glasses to him before making a hasty retreat into the back storage room, from which he meant not to return. Daniel took the class carefully and took a sip, recoiling slightly. Gin and tonic had never been his favorite. Taking an opportune glance at Serj, Daniel felt severe discomfort. This man, easily older than he, was spinning in the bar stool like a child and occasionally pretended to vomit, giggling quietly the entire time.

Suddenly, Serj stopped. He reached into the green vest he wore and pulled out a pen and notepad. "Alrighty, then, Daniel and Libra," Serj began before becoming enamored with the clicking sound the pen made. He pressed the pen several more times with a look of juvenile bewilderment.

'That drink doesn't sound too bad now,' Daniel thought, earning a chuckle from Libra.

Through great strain, Serj refocused himself. "Unfortunately, we now 'ave to get down to business." Daniel instinctively shifted closer to Libra who uprighted into a more professional position. Her fingers twitched as she prepared herself for a potential fight.

Serj flipped to a page in his notepad and checked off something. "Got tha names...okay...now...testimony… do I really 'ave to do this?" He complained.

The Zoroark shouted something in response.

"Fine…Anyway, please give me a detailed accoun' of whatcha saw."

Daniel inhaled deliberately. He was unsure what to make of the situation but figured that cooperating probably gave him the best chance of surviving. "I saw you come into the bar," he began before taking another sip of his drink. Serj appeared to be writing down what he was saying. "You said, 'Hello,' to us and then you shot off your gun. Everyone ran except for me and Libra. Libra tried to fight but your Zoroark managed to get her off of her feet and I dragged her back down behind the table with me." Serj nodded for him to continue. "Then I…" A lump was forming in Daniel's throat and he reached for the glass, but retracted his hand at the last moment. "We saw you kill that woman."

Libra quickly chimed in. "We also heard you two talking about the Elite Four members being killed." Daniel said nothing but Serj continued to write. "You'll have to tell him that part," Libra commented, "He can't hear me."

'Why not?' Daniel asked through thought.

"Because I don't want that psycho connected to me."

Though not positive of the meaning of that statement, Daniel reiterated what Libra had told him.

Serj made a few final marks on the page and then looked up apologetically. "I'm sorry, but couldya repeat all o' that?" He flipped his notepad over. "I got bored so I drew a Buneary. Look!" He shoved the poorly done rendition of the pokémon in Daniel's face and pretended to make it hop. "Boinga boinga boinga!"

Daniel and Libra looked on incredulously. "Can I blast this guy? Please?" Libra begged, but a quick glance over to Ray persuaded her that such an attempt was not an optimal decision. He looked powerful and well-trained with muscles not usual to Zoroark being prominent.

'Look,' Daniel thought, 'Let's just play this cool and when you get a chance, teleport us out of here.'

"I can't," Libra retorted. "With that Zoroark here, I can probably only teleport myself, and that would be a stretch."

Twisting his face, Daniel tapped his boot against the ground nervously. The air was thick and heavy, sweat lined the young man's brow while he could feel Libra's breath being blown onto his neck. She was just as anxious as he. Daniel could practically feel the frantic rhythm of her heart in time with his.

"Oh, right, you people are here!" Serj shouted, surprising Daniel and Libra. "I gotta do somethin' witcha." His eyes grew narrow and his hand moved to where his gun was holstered. "You've seen things you were not s'posed ta see… and now I gotta do somethin' about it…" Serj lifted the gun from its resting place and slowly ran his free hand over the shiny metal body. The glint in his eyes never faded while his smile only widened as his finger creeped towards the trigger. He was not directly aiming at Daniel, but if he had pulled the trigger, he would most likely hit him. "And I think you know what I 'ave ta do…" A grotesque laugh escaped from Serj's throat.

"Look," Daniel blubbered. Libra had attached herself to his back and he could feel her chest-spike pressing into him painfully. "We won't say anything! No one will know about this, we swear on Arceus, on my grandfather's grave! Please, just let us live, it was just an accident. We won't tell the police!" The words came out far too quickly and Daniel could feel the beginnings of tears entering his eyes. He was so afraid.

"Sorry, mate," Serj responded casually, pressing the gun up to Daniel's forehead. "But business is business."

Libra tried to move to act, but the Zoroark was suddenly upon the trio, his claws extended threateningly, hair on edge. However, he was not threatening Daniel or Libra, but rather, Serj. A low growl emitted from his throat and he said something that sounded vile.

Out of nowhere, a hearty laugh filled the entire establishment. Serj was in hysterics. He rested the gun on the table and then laid his head down next to it, tears of joy streaming from his eyes. His arms cradled his stomach. The man would occasionally flinch from the pain in his abdomen. Finally composing himself, Serj righted himself. "I got you all!" he trilled, an occasional chortle coming through.

Ray looked furious. He began to spit and growl and shout at Serj while Daniel looked on, confused.

'What's he saying?' he asked Libra.

"I…I don't feel comfortable translating that…" Libra responded, still gripping onto Daniel's shoulder.

'Now I really want to know.'

Libra shook her head and projected, "So far the nicest thing he has said is for Serj to be...um…"taken" by a Wailord."

Daniel thought for a moment before the revelation of what that meant hit him. His face flushed and he quickly pulled his hat lower on his head.

"I warned you," Libra teased.

After several minutes of Ray's incoherent vulgarities, Serj finally managed to speak. "Oh, man, that wa' a good 'un, wasn'it?" He nudged Daniel with a sharp elbow. "Tha look on your face, ha! The begging and pleadin' and Ray tryin' ta kill me! Oh, Arceus, tha's some classic stuff!" Serj was horribly amused with himself and completely oblivious to the dirty glares being given to him by the three others in the room.

Ray turned to Daniel and Libra and motioned for Libra to listen to him. The two conversed for a while before Ray reached inside of his mane and removed a wallet. Taking out several dollars, he put them on the counter for Reed before scouring his mane for a few more items. One of which was a small bottle corked tightly; the other was a cloth. Holding both items at arm's length away from his body, Ray uncorked the bottle and pressed the cloth over its top. He upended it onto the cloth. When he finished, he re-corked the bottle and put it in his mane. Finally, he placed the cloth up to Serj's nose and with a loud "thud" Serj's head hit the counter, unconscious and with a wacky smile on his face. Ray placed the cloth in his mane and then hefted the lithe man over his shoulder. Pointing to the front door, he calmly walked outside, though Daniel could see his outline through the stained glass.

Several moments of uncertain silence passed. Daniel's heart palpitated quickly as he pointlessly attempted to calm himself. He stood up and stretched his back, standing on toes as he did so. The tense atmosphere had caused his body to stiffen.

"Ugh," he groaned audibly. "What the hell just happened?" He locked eyes with Libra who looked vaguely forlorn.

"I don't know," she responded, her voice distant. "But the Zoroark, who prefers to be called by his full name 'Raymond," by the way, said that we basically have to go with them two for a while…"

"What?! Why?"

"He didn't say exactly. All he said was that they're with the police and since we saw everything we have to be accompanied so that he can be sure we're trustworthy enough to let live," Libra explained.

"And if we don't prove ourselves?"

"I think we both know the answer to that."

An eerie quietness fell upon the duo. Daniel palmed Alice's ball as he questioned what he should do. He had planned to go back to Hearthome and finish up some of his classes and then be interned, but who knew what this insane man could have planned? Should they make a run for it? No… Raymond obviously trusted them enough to leave them alone for a time, but he probably would be prepared for them if they tried to sneak out the back, if there was a back. Daniel paced across the messy scene, careful to come nowhere close to the dead body. They really had no choice. They had to go with Serj and Raymond. Maybe after a month or two, they would let them go and Daniel would be able to go back to the way things were. Then again...what would he tell Darla? There was no way that he could tell her that he was intending to go to a mystery place with some random murderers who claimed to be part of the police force, it was far too implausible.

A rapping on the door broke Daniel out of his thoughts. Raymond growled something impatiently.

"He wants us to come out, Daniel," Libra translated quietly.

"What do you think we should do?" Daniel asked.

"Me?" Libra seemed surprised. "I guess we should go with them, not like we have much choice."

"I really did not want to hear you say that."

Libra shrugged and floated elegantly from her seat. "Let's just get going. Maybe this will be fun."

Daniel gave a slight chuckle. "Hey, maybe you're right."

"I usually am," Libra responded with false smugness.

"Or," Daniel countered, "We could end up being tossed in Mt. Coronet as it explodes."

"That sounds pretty fun to me!"

"If we make out of this alive, you are not allowed to pick where we go for a vacation."

The laughter seemed to cut through the room with a blade of jubilance. The two exited the establishment. Raymond awaited them with Serj still unconscious at his feet and Pasha standing next to him smoking a cigarette. He nodded assuringly as Daniel as Raymond lifted Serj back up.

########

The trek to the hotel was uncomfortable, to say the least. The heavy, judgemental gaze of bystanders could be felt by the entire party. It was not every day that a man with a Gardevoir and Zoroark came out of a bar with an unconscious person draped over the shoulder. Raymond did not appear to pay any attention to the gawks; Daniel and Libra were well aware of all that transpired around them. The whispers and murmurs that followed them along with the turned shoulders were somewhat overwhelming.

Finally, however, they reached the hotel. It was not a large chain hotel, but rather a locally run inn that was nestled on the town border. Tall and stoic, there were noticeably few people milling about in the lobby which was decorated with traditional Victorian stylings. Leading the way, Raymond pressed a button on the elevator and the doors instantly opened. Once inside he pressed the button for the 13th floor. As the elevator began to move, he dropped Serj onto the floor and rolled his shoulder. When the elevator came to a stop he hoisted Serj to his opposite shoulder and walked down the snake-like hallway.

After what seemed like an abnormally long, unnervingly silent walk, the group arrived at an unassuming door. The Zoroark reached into his mane and pulled out the electronic key, sliding it into the door and shoving it open. The room was clean and well-kept. Two queen sized beds dominated the majority of the floor-space while a dresser with a dated television on top was pushed to the wall, maneuvered for optimal viewing. On the far end of the room was a small kitchen area that led to a hallway with a bathroom and entrance to a second room that held a single-person bed.

Raymond went into this room and the groan of springs followed his dumping of Serj's body onto the bed. Returning to the confused duo of Daniel and Libra, he spoke. "Zor zoro zoroark." That was all Daniel heard but Libra nodded that she understood.

Without another word, Raymond made his way to the dresser and pulled out another key card then left the room altogether.

Unsure of what to do, Daniel simply sat down on the end of the closer bed and stared off into space. After a time he asked Libra, "What did Raymond say?"

Libra, who had moved to a window overlooking the city turned to Daniel. "He said that we're free to order room service and that the food here is pretty good." She looked towards the blue carpet, absentmindedly playing with her hair. "He also said that we aren't to leave until we discuss what's going to happen."

Daniel fell back onto the bed and stared idly at the chipping paint of the ceiling, arms crossed over his torso. "Did he say where he was going?" Libra shook her head. "Fantastic…" Daniel spat.

Deciding to liven up the room a little, Daniel released Alice. She sniffed around curiously for a bit before attempting to hop up on the bed with Daniel. She failed and managed to tear part of the comforter with her claws. Arising sheepishly to the sounds of laughter from Daniel and Libra, she leapt again and this time managed to get up onto the bed. She walked around a little, enjoying the plush feeling of the blanket and then began to bounce up and down excitedly, tongue flailing out of her mouth, sending drool everywhere.

"Hey now," Daniel admonished, reaching over and grabbing Alice. He placed her in his lap. "Don't you think you've messed up this room enough?"

Libra giggled as Alice responded by licking Daniel's face with her long, slobbery tongue, leaving him drenched in Houndour saliva. Walking over, Libra moved to sit down next to Daniel but Alice suddenly bared her teeth and growled aggressively at her. It was menacing, originating deep in her throat causing Libra to quickly back away. "Quiet, Pup," she snapped, her eyes glowing for a brief moment.

Pulling her scruff, Daniel intervened. "None of that, Alice, she's a friend." Alice continued to growl, ears pulled back. "What's with you?"

"Keep that up and I'll send you flying," Libra threatened as her eyes narrowed to match Alice's.

Alice barked and attempted to lunge at Libra but Daniel held her back. "Stop it, right now!" Daniel commanded, his voice rising. Alice quickly dropped her defensive posture and conceded to simply glare at Libra. The Gardevoir gave a smug look before being met with Daniel's gaze. "Both of you."

Libra's face contorted in annoyance, but she complied. "Fine." After a moment of silence, Libra suggested, "Maybe the pup's just hungry. Why don't you just order us some food?"

Alice's ears perked up and her entire countenance changed to one of glee at the mention of food; her tail slapped Daniel's arm and she yipped.

Sighing in relief, Daniel grabbed the phone, ordering a couple cans of Pokémon food for Alice and Libra while ordering simple burgers and fries for himself.

Within the hour, the food had arrived and the trio were quietly eating while watching a movie about sharks being sucked up by a tornado and eating people. It was a true cinematic masterpiece. Daniel, was just happy that a state of detente had been reached between Libra and Alice; they had teamed up to steal as many fries away from him as they could manage. He would slap Libra's hand away only to find Alice's maw stealing away several. By the time the plate was empty, the young man had only eaten about three of the salty delicacies.

"You know asking is really more polite," Daniel stated while reaching for the remote. The movie was over and he wanted to flip channels.

"This is more fun," Libra commented, earning a grin from Alice. She winked at the young Houndour and eyed Daniel's half-eaten burger.

"Don't even think about it."

"Spoilsport," Libra said, chuckling lightly. She moved from one bed to the opposite one and sprawled out face-down, sighing contently.

After flipping channels and finding nothing but infomercials and porn channels- Daniel did not want to know why Serj opted to pay for those- he finally settled on a news station for a while. It was largely uninteresting; some Skitty had gotten caught in a tree or something, generic and boring.

Daniel wrestled on the bed carefully with Alice as she playfully nipped at his hands. Libra watched and encouraged Alice more so than Daniel. The faux fight was interrupted by the news suddenly switching to a large mob of people. The reporter in front of it looked somewhat nervous as he began his broadcast.

"Thanks Amy. Coming to you live in front of Unova's esteemed Pokémon League building, I'm Nathan Repotro and the crowd behind me is responding to a major decision by the league regarding Pokémon-Human relationships. The league has officially made it legal for pokémon and humans to be in a relationship and marry as they please so long as both sides can prove that it is consensual in front of specially trained experts."

The crowd roared in response to hearing the reporter tell the story.

"Disgusting!" shouted one.

"Hooray!" cried another.

Boos and hisses clashed with cheering and whooping as the crowd verbally warred with itself. The reporter took a few steps forward so that he would not be drowned out by the fighting.

"As you can see, we have two sides here. According to my source, the league itself was just as divided in its decision, with the ultimate vote being decided, not by the champion, but by the prominent author and ghost-type trainer, Shauntal. With this decision, Unova now joins Kalos and Orre as the three regions to allow these types of relationships. While Sinnoh and Hoenn have remained relatively neutral on this issue, we have word that a representative from the Kanto-Johto League has given his dissent on the opinion."

The camera cut to show the face of a man dressed in a brown suit. His face was stern but he spoke gently. "The league here at Indigo finds itself disappointed with the decision reached. It is its belief that pokémon and humans should not be allowed to be in any sort of intimate relationship and it will continue to defend this belief and argue for it at any future inter-region meetings."

The scene then changed back to the reporter Nathan. "As you can see there are clear divides and word is that both sides are sending representatives to Hoenn and Sinnoh in an attempt to sway them either way. No word from either of those two regions as to how this will play out. That's all we have for now but we will get back to as soon as more information is available."

A newsroom came up on the screen and the newscasters began their usual banter concerning the topic, but Daniel quickly changed the channel to an informercial.

"What's your take on all of that?" Libra asked. She was now leaning against the headboard of the bed, having managed to maneuver her back-spike into a small indent that was a part of the design carved onto the piece.

"I don't really care," Daniel replied flatly, flipping Alice over so that he could rub her belly. She panted in delight.

Libra looked perturbed. "You really don't care about this? It seems to be a big issue."

"No, it's not that I don't care about the issue," Daniel explained. "It's just not important to me what other people do, you know? Not really my business what other people want to do." Daniel reached up and switched off the light and the television, covering the room in darkness.

"Gotcha," Libra trailed off. She gazed out the window. The moon had risen in the sky. Crescent in shape, it was rather beautiful and remarkably visible considering how bright of a city Veilstone was. Its silvery glow always enraptured Libra; it was as if she could simply become part of that light, but she knew, however, that she was not pure enough to be absorbed into such a magical thing.

"You okay?" Daniel asked.

Libra turned from the moon's enchantment and smiled softly at Daniel. "Yea, just thinking." Her voice was raspy.

"About what?"

"Nothing much."

Daniel did not believe her, but said nothing. He removed his hat and put it on the ground next to the bed.

Libra followed suit, folding herself into the comfortable sheets, though her eyes remained open; she was not quite ready for sleep.

"Where's the Zoroark gonna sleep, huh?" came a quiet, but edgy voice.

Libra responded telepathically and felt minor resistance before the gates into Alice's mind were opened. 'It's almost midnight and he's not back, so he loses his bed.'

'Hmph,' Alice responded contemptuously. 'We aren't friends, just so you know.'

'Do you do anything but bark, Pup?'

'My name is Alice.'

'And I'll call you that when you aren't a little puppy anymore.'

'Look, just stay away from Daniel, he's my human, not yours," Alice threatened; the moonlight caught on one of Alice's fangs.

Libra chuckled in response. 'Listen, Pup, I don't know why you don't like me, but I'm not here to take Daniel from you.'

'Then why are you here? Why couldn't you stay in your forest?' Alice interrogated,

'My reasons are my own. And if I hadn't been there, Daniel would be dead, so just leave me alone.'

Alice went silent for a while. 'But we are still stealing food from Daniel in the morning, right?'

'Of course we are.'

########

Raymond sucked in the cool night air. Basking in the moon's glow, he rested atop the hotel at which he was staying. Though his mission was successful, he did not like the additional baggage that had come with it. 'I should have made sure that Gardevoir actually went away...rookie mistake,' he thought to himself.

He should have known that Serj would want that kind of excitement; he would find it fun. In the end, a million "should haves" played through Raymonds head, but ultimately, he decided, the mission was complete and the woman was dead for her crimes.

"Figured I'd findya up 'ere, Ray," came a voice from behind him.

Raymond growled. "I told you not to call me that, Serj."

Serj appeared next to him and looked out over the cityscape. "And I've told you to get that stick outya bum." Serj then faced Raymond directly. "By tha way...do you keep that chloroform jus' for me?"

"Mostly," Raymond responded dryly. "Why didn't you tell me to get rid of those two? I thought they were long gone."

Serj smiled and shrugged, "Didn' feel like it. Mo' fun this way!"

"Fun is not why we're doing this."

"Is not why _you're _doing this. Personally, I think is a grand ol' time!" Serj beat his chest comedically. "' Cause I'm a bad-ass!"

Raymond exhaled deeply. "You're hopeless."

"And you're jealous." The two friends sat and watched the city pass them. From atop the hotel they could see all that was above and all that was below them. From the insignificant ants on the ground to the great gods of the sky.

A ringtone broke the tranquil moment. While Serj started dancing to the phone, Raymond reached into the man's pocket and answered it. After a few curt words, the Zoroark hung up.

"So what'd the big man say, Ray?" Serj asked, still dancing ridiculously.

Raymond grunted. "He wants us to begin testing on those two-

"Three," Serj interrupted.

"What?"

"There's three of 'em. Daniel, Libra, and a 'oundour."

"Regardless, he wants us to begin testing them. He saw the little fiasco on the security cameras from the clean-up team and he thinks that they may be useful."

"Well alrighty, then, Ray, looks like we got a job to do!" Serj boasted.

Shaking his head, Raymond relayed the details of the mission to Serj. "It's actually going to work out to our advantage."

"'ow's that?"

"We need to go to Hearthome, and, coincidentally, he's taking some classes there, so it should be easy travelling with him if we can convince him that we have separate business."

"Maybe we can test 'is intelligence at the University while we're off doin' our thang," Serj suggested.

"As good as an idea that is, surprisingly, there is a problem." Raymond looked out in the direction of the University. "We're being sent to retrieve the president of the University."

**A/N: Hello everyone. I figured that I might start adding these at the ends of chapters so I can make any announcements that you guys might not find on my profile. Firstly, sorry for the long chapter wait, been busy with family and work. Despite that, I like this chapter, and I hope you do, too. Reviews and feedback are always welcome!**

**Secondly, on my profile you will see a list of current and upcoming works. These will have various labels by them that mean different things. The definitions of those labels will be directly above the list, so make sure to check that out if you're unsure of the current state of a potentially interesting fic.**


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